The statistics on this aren’t great, but everything we know tells us that a shockingly large number of people have valid claims for disability benefits, but they either (1) don’t know about those benefits or how to initiate a claim, or (2) have become so frustrated with the claims process that they’ve simply thrown their hands up and quit trying.

Let’s face it. Insurance companies don’t become multi-billion-dollar giants by approving and paying claims. One of the easiest ways for an insurance company to avoid paying your claim is by discouraging you from initiating and pursuing a claim in the first place. Everyone has a breaking point, and it seems like the claims process is designed to find yours so that you will simply quit fighting and go away.

They do this by playing what we call “Dirty Tricks” on you during the claims process.

Here are some dirty tricks (and tell us if these sound familiar):

Snail Mail

Even though you have provided the insurance company with your home phone number, your mobile number, and your email address, the insurance company sends you time-sensitive information and demands for information by regular mail. You could receive it in an instant and have a reasonable time to respond, but the insurance company deliberately selects the slowest, and least reliable means to communicate with you.

The Dusty Letter

You receive a letter from the insurance company. The letter reflects that it was written on June 1, but it is post-marked June 15 and you didn’t receive it until June 20. Either the letter was backdated, or it sat on someone’s desk collecting “dust” until it made it to the insurance company’s mail room. Once again, your time for responding to the letter has shrunk.

Hot Potato

When you initiated your claim, the insurance company assigned a “claim specialist” the company said would be responsible for handling your claim. But since then, you’ve been passed around from person to person and each time you have to start all over with a new person who is completely unfamiliar with you or your claim. You realize there’s nothing “special” about the person the insurance company assigns to you.

Phone Purgatory

Your “claim specialist” won’t give you the direct phone number for her office (or her email address) and instead only gives you the insurance company’s MAIN NUMBER. This means you get to listen to a thousand different transfer options – none of them applicable to your situation. When you finally choose the closest one, you are treated to elevator music as you sit on hold. It is not uncommon to wait on hold for 30 minutes or longer. What is the insurance company saying to you? “Please hang up.”

Repeat Requests

You spent hours dutifully filling out claim forms, carefully squeezing your life story into the tiny boxes supplied on the form. You faxed the form to the insurance company. Weeks later, you receive a letter from the insurance company complaining that you haven’t returned the claim form. You know you did, but you don’t want your claim to be denied, so you do it all over again. In response, the insurance company writes to tell you that, oops, they already have that form from you, and ask you to complete a different one.

If you’ve been on the receiving end of these “Dirty Tricks,” don’t give up. That’s what the insurance company wants you to do. We’ve seen these tactics before and know how to handle them. Rather than giving up, contact us. We can help.